LINDEN — Linden was able to neutralize Ripon Chrsitian’s big scoring threat, 6-foot-8 center Tyler Goslinga, in the two team’s third non-league matchup of the season Tuesday, but the Lions had trouble containing Daniel Van de Pol and Logan Vos.

Van de Pol and Vos exploded in the second half to help RC, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top-ranked Division V team according to MaxPreps.com, down Linden 47-35 in the rubber match.

Ripon Christian (12-2) previously edged Linden 45-44 in the third-place game of the Galt Tournament before falling to the Lions (7-6) 56-47 in the championship game of the Knights’ own tournament.

Linden’s 6-7, 240-pound big man, Aaron Judge, finished with 15 points and did a good job on Goslinga, who had just four points to go with a team-high 10 rebounds.

Van de Pol poured in 13 of his 18 points in the second half, and Vos scored 12 of his 14 over that same stretch. Ripon Christian led 18-14 at halftime but opened up a 39-24 cushion with 4:16 to go.

“(Judge) intimidated us a bit in the first half,” said Ripon Christian coach Ron Vander Molen. “We were worried about getting our shot blocked, and Tyler really struggled against him.

“But Daniel and Logan really came through for us.”

Vander Molen also lauded the efforts of Steve Vander Molen (10 points, seven rebounds), who drew the defensive assignment on Judge.

“(Judge) was able to get 15 on us, but I thought we played good team defense against him,” coach Vander Molen said.

Ripon Christian will have its final tune-up before the Trans Valley League season tips off Friday at home against Summerville.

With 12 of its games, win or lose, decided by double-digit margins, Ripon Christian expects dogfights ahead in the regular season.

“We haven’t had very many close games, so we need to have a better understanding of game situations,” Vander Molen said. “League is going to be tough, so we’re going to be in a lot of close games and I just hope that we can handle that.”

SUTTER CREEK — Ripon (7-7) got another solid performance underway in a hurry, dominating Amador in the first period 15-0 to establish a lead it would not surrender. Ripon didn’t ease off, holding the Buffaloes to just five second-period points.

“They were not able to handle our pressure all that well,” Ripon head coach George Contente said. “We kept up a lot of man-to-man pressure and it seemed to work out really well. Once we got going, they just were not able to advance the ball very quickly.”

Junior Kendra Contente led the way for the Indians, putting up a game-high 18 points and playing a key role in the Indians’ defensive execution.
“Kendra had some steals, she did it in transition,” Contente said. “She hit a couple of 3’s; she basically did a lot of things in the flow of the game that really helped us to win the game.

“She did a lot of things on the defensive end and she also had a good game rebounding.”

Teammtes Rachel Rodriguez and Sereena Hertel both chipped in six.

The Indians’ next step will prove to be more challenging, as Ripon heads to Jackson to take on undefeated Argonaut High Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

RIPON — The Knights (5-8) hung tough in the early going, battling to a 10-all tie by the end of the first quarter but could not keep up with a tough Linden team for long.
Kelsey Tillema led the Knights with nine points and eight boards, while Amanda Boersma chipped in four points and dished out five assists.

“We stayed close and pulled ahead in the third period,” Ripon Christian head coach Kirk Tillema said. “But weren’t able to stop the outside shooting (Natalie) Winters who hit three 3-pointer to pull away.”

The Knights will be back on the court Thursday when they travel to Summerville to take on the Bears.